Celebrate Mardi Gras: Five Alternatives to the Classic King Cake

This year, Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, March 4. Also known as "Fat Tuesday," it's the last night to indulge in rich, fatty foods before Ash Wednesday, when the ritual fasting of the Lent begins. But for us, it's really just an excuse to party and eat King Cake.

The most popular Mardi Gras treat, King Cake is used to celebrate the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. The most classic form is a cinnamon-roll-style ring slathered with purple, green and gold icing that is adorned -- either on top or inside -- with a trinket that brings luck to whoever finds it. That trinket, of course, is a tiny plastic baby that is said to represent the Christ Child (why, how do you top your cakes?).

But today we're not about the classic King Cake. Here are 5 King Cake Twists (including ways to hide that plastic baby):

1. In Shot Form Because Jell-O shots never hurt anybody

Fat Tuesday is a day of indulgence and mayhem. And we can't think of a single thing that brings about more mayhem than a Jell-O shot. This ingenious recipe uses cake-flavored vodka, gelatin, condensed milk and food coloring to make creamy purple, green and yellow Jell-O cake shots.

Made with key lime pie-flavored vodka, gelatin, Sprite and food coloring, the Jell-O-shot-cupcake hybrids will be the cutest things to get you buzzed all day.

For the trinket: Stick a gusher into one of the cupcakes after baking, or plop a plastic baby right on top of the icing.

3. King (Cheese)Cake Because, obviously

This King Cake Cheesecake mimics the flavor of traditional King Cake by using a cinnamon-shortbread crust and cream-cheese filling. Use purple, green and gold icing sugars to complete the look. Special bonus: This recipe is gluten-free (that is, unless you substitute regular flour for rice flour -- which you totally can).

For the trinket: Drop a blueberry into the cream cheese mixture before baking.